You are in Pursuit of What?

After God had delivered Israel from Egypt, Moses asked God to personally lead Israel. God agreed because Moses found favor in God’s sight. Then, almost as a childlike request, Moses blurted out, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” In other words, Moses asked to see God face to face. (Exodus 33:12-20)

Abraham was called an “alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob.” He was faithful to God because “he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

David was chosen by God to be king over Israel after Saul. God declared His reason for choosing David: “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart….” (1 Samuel 13:14)

Not only was David in pursuit of God so he could be like God, he wrote, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4-6)

Jesus and his disciples stayed in the home of Martha. “She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations….” (Luke 10:38-40)

Peter kept his eyes focused upward “looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13)

The Apostle Paul revealed his inner desire “that I may know Him [Christ] and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

I find it illuminating that none of these people of faith expressed a desire to be reunited with a family member in the afterlife or sit and converse with Noah or quiz God. None of them brought the things of God down to man’s plane of existence. They all reached upward to God, upward to Christ. In one way or another they all revealed their pursuit of the divine.

What about you??

Men and women of true faith had their gaze set on God. They looked forward to heavenly things. Those who had the privilege of being part of the new covenant had their eyes fixed on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)

These people were not concerned about their retirement. They didn’t focus on their houses and property and possessions. As much as they loved their family members, they understood the temporal nature of this life, including family.

They were not like Lot’s wife who could not bear leaving her home of Sodom and was compelled to look back when it was destroyed. The promise of an eternal city captured their imaginations. With unwavering faith they endured hardship. They accepted injustices from those who could not understand their faith. Death was understood to be a necessary doorway passing from this life to eternity.

The Apostle John was given a view of the eternal city of God. It is immense in size offering shelter and all the necessities of life. God is the light. There is the river of life (water) and the fruit-bearing tree of life (food). All will wear clean robes. In the afterlife true LIFE is found.

What are you pursuing??

Mark Stinnett

August 20, 2023

The Fate of Men and Beasts??

Solomon wrote some rather startling things in the book of Ecclesiastes. It is understandable why some people have doubted its place in the Bible. Yet, perhaps the problem is not with the book but our perspective. Here’s another of Solomon’s startling statements:

For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.

—Ecclesiastes 3:19 (NASB95)

There are two parts of this verse that are puzzling. First, did Solomon suggest that our lives are subject to fate in which our lives are locked in to a pre-determined path?

Many English translations use the word fate in this verse. Even more confusing is the New English Bible which refers to death as a mischance, which means, bad luck. 

What does it all mean?

The Hebrew word translated fate in the verse quoted above literally means happening. It was a general way to indicate that something simply happened. It was used to describe Ruth gleaning in the field belonging to Boaz (Ruth 2:3). No one told her to go to that field; she just happened to go there. The word suggests a sense of chance, but not chance as it relates to probabilities.

So, Solomon literally wrote that “that which happens to the sons of men and that which happens to the beasts is the same.” He went on to say that they both die. So, he was not talking about choices made in life, or about events that are inevitably locked in by some mysterious cosmic force (like the Fates of Greek mythology) but simply the final outcome of life...death. So, death happens to man and death happens to beasts. That’s all he meant.

The second puzzling part of the verse is Solomon’s statement that “there is no advantage for man over beast.” That sounds like people are just like my dog Rover; he died and he’s dead all over. In other words (sorry pet lovers), animals just die, and that’s all there is. Disney got it wrong; all dogs go to heaven isn’t true.

Did Solomon really mean that it is the same for mankind? What about the assurances of the afterlife found in the New Testament?

Once again, we must be very careful interpreting Solomon’s words. Unless his perspective is taken into consideration, he is likely to be misunderstand.

Remember that the book of Ecclesiastes is a kind of report of Solomon’s search for meaning. He set out on a mission to find meaning in life but he was aware that he was limited to the physical universe. Solomon knew that he could not bring anything new into the material universe that was not already there. Nor could he remove anything. After all, he was himself a part of the material universe. He acknowledged God, but he could not bring God into his search because God was beyond the material universe.

So, Solomon’s statement must be understood in light of the limitations of his search. If you compare the outcome of the life of humans and beasts within the limitations of the material universe, both die. Without considering anything beyond the limitations of the universe, humans have no advantage over animals. Both came from dust and both return to dust.

All that we know about divine judgment and the afterlife was not discovered by man (not even Solomon). These things have been revealed from beyond the material universe. They are revealed by God.

Mark Stinnett

August 6, 2023

The Pit and Divine Judgment

In previous weeks I have explored a number of biblical terms referring to destinations in the afterlife, such as Sheol and Hades. These have accompanied the current sermon series on 'Judgment.' A less familiar judgment term is the pit. It is often used in the Bible as a parallel to Sheol, but also connects to other biblical terms that are relevant. Let’s see what the Bible says about the pit.

There are eleven different Hebrew words that are translated pit. In each case the meaning could simply refer to a hole in the ground. You can imagine how the word pit could be used to refer to an open grave. For that reason, pit is sometimes used in Hebrew poetry as a parallel to the grave, death or Sheol.

However, out of the 148 occurrences of Hebrew pit terms, 94 occurrences appear in the context of imprisonment or destruction, often in prophetic warnings of divine judgment. Examples:

• Judgment against Babylon: “You will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:15)
• Judgment against Moab, “The one who flees from the terror will fall into the pit, and the one who climbs up out of the pit will be caught in the snare.” (Jeremiah 48:44) i.e. There is no escape from divine judgment.
• Judgment against the king of the city of Tyre: “They [invading nations] will bring you down to the pit, and you will die the death of those who are slain.” (Ezekiel 28:8)

Outside of a few literal uses of the word pit in the New Testament, it is used in Revelation 9 in reference to a bottomless pit. In John’s vision an angel of God held the key to the bottomless pit and was told to release destructive locusts. The locusts were allowed to torment (but not kill) the ungodly people on earth for five months. The bottomless pit was also referred to as the abyss (v. 11). The king over the abyss is named Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek) (v. 11), both names meaning destruction.

Much earlier a large number of demons begged Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss (Luke 8:31). In Matthew’s parallel account the demons ask Jesus if He was about to torment them before “the time” (8:29). This appears to be the same abyss seen in the book of Revelation.

There is one other similar use of the term pit* that is parallel in meaning to the abyss. In 2 Peter 2:4 we read: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment….” In this case the word hell is the Greek word Tartarus and is described as pits of darkness. A parallel statement written by Jude will add to our understanding: “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day….” (v. 6)

Connections and Conclusion:

• Tartarus (pits of darkness) is a place for sinful angels (not humans). There they are kept in eternal bonds until judgment.
• The abyss (bottomless pit) is a place of torment and is associated with Tartarus. Demons are destined for the abyss. Though its king is named destroyer, an angel of God holds the key to the abyss, therefore showing God’s ultimate authority over the abyss.
• When the pit is used in judgment prophecy it is applied to the ungodly as an inescapable place, death or destruction.

So, the pit is often used in judgment prophecy for destruction. There is a pit that is referred to as the bottomless pit, also called the abyss. That is descriptive of Tartarus, a kind of Hades for sinful angels and demons, before their final destruction in the lake of fire. For Christians, these things help to round our our understanding of the spiritual realm and how God deals with evil. However, we can rest easy knowing that these things are not a threat to those who belong to God.

Mark Stinnett

September 18, 2022

*The abyss is also found in Romans 10:7, but as a reference to Hades. This appears to be an exception to the way it is used in other passages in the Bible.

What Does the Bible Say about Purgatory?

The word Purgatory is not found in the Bible. So, some folks would prefer that I answer the title question by leaving a long blank space. However, the word trinity is not in the Bible either, yet most Christians believe in a three-person Godhead: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So, perhaps, like the term trinity, the concept of Purgatory is somewhere in the Bible.

What is Purgatory?

The word Purgatory comes from the Latin word purgare, meaning, to cleanse, or purge. It is defined as a place where a person temporarily suffers after death in order to expiate (i.e. atone for) his sins. (Webster) In Roman Catholicism it is a place for those who have died in a state of grace. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Souls are sent to Purgatory because they have not been purged (purified) of unforgiven venial sins. Venial sins are pardonable less offensive sins to God. (New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia)

Souls in Purgatory are believed to be cleansed of their sins by suffering and by the aid of the living who are faithful. Aid is given through prayers, fasting, almsgiving, sacrifices, indulgences and other pious works. Once atonement is made, the soul can be released from Purgatory.

Where Did the Teaching Originate?

The teaching of Purgatory appears to have originated from a passage found in an apocryphal book*, 2 Maccabees 12:45. Judas Maccabee “offered an atoning sacrifice to free the dead from their sin.” This was to benefit soldiers who had died in battle defending the Jews.

However, the doctrine of Purgatory was not officially accepted by the Roman Catholic Church until the Middle Ages at the Council of Lyon (1245). It was never a part of the teachings of Jesus and His apostles.

Is the Doctrine of Purgatory Biblical?

The doctrine of Purgatory states that a person must pay for unforgiven sins through suffering and/or the pious works of the living. However, consider...

My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 

—1 John 2:1-2

So, according to the Apostle John, Jesus is our propitiation, that is, the sacrifice offered to atone for sins. In addition, the Hebrew writer emphasized that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice “once for all.” In other words, His sacrifice was sufficient so that additional sacrifices for sin are simply not necessary. (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12)

So, atonement for sin is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, not man. Yet, the doctrine of Purgatory says that the debt of sin can be paid by man. This contradiction is insurmountable; only one of these teachings can be correct.

Since the writings of the Apostle John and the writer of Hebrews are not in question, then the origin of the doctrine of Purgatory must be questioned. Either the book of 2 Maccabees is not authoritative, or Judas Maccabee acted on his own without divine authority. In either case, the doctrine of Purgatory lacks authoritative biblical support.

Conclusion: Purgatory is not a biblical doctrine.

Mark Stinnett

September 4, 2022

*The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church accept 2 Maccabees as authoritative. However, most, if not all, Protestant and Jewish groups do not consider apocryphal writings to have the same authority as other books of the Bible.